Villanova Assistant VP Killed In Murder-Suicide

A tragic event hit Villanova University this week: assistant Vice President Meredith Chapman was found dead in an apparent murder-suicide Monday night. Found with her was Jennair Gerardot, who is the wife of a man that Chapman was having an affair with.

Authorities believe that the murder-suicide was carefully planned by Gerardot. Police Superintendent William Colarulo said, “you had a man who was married who was having an affair with this other woman. The wife knew about it, and this was a calculated, planned attack.”

The police believe Gerardot disguised herself for a trip to Delaware and broke into Chapman’s home. She is believed to have shot Chapman as soon as she came in the door, before taking her own life. Gerardot’s husband — and Chapman’s lover Mark Gerardot — ultimately arrived at the scene of the crime, after Chapman didn’t show up to meet him for dinner.

Chapman had just recently started her job at Villanova, after working in various other jobs and positions around the east coast. She worked in media relations and marketing for her alma mater the University of Delaware for many years, and even ran for a Delaware state Senate seat, though she did lose.

Mark Gerardot also worked at the University of Delaware for some time. Villanova spokesman Jonathan Gust expressed the university’s sadness over this event, saying, “Our hearts are broken by the devastating loss of our new colleague. The thoughts and prayers of the entire university community are with her family, friends and colleagues during this extremely difficult time.”

Saddened by the news of Meredith Chapman’s passing. While at UD, she made a lasting impact on @UDelaware , her students and anyone who has gotten to meet her. My thoughts are with her friends and family today

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Caitlin Wills is a graduate of the University of Colorado Boulder with a BA in journalism and a minor in creative writing. She has written for various websites including The Odyssey Online and The Tempest, and currently writes album reviews for MXDWN. She is also an avid fiction writer and is working on writing a novel. Follow her on Twitter @caitlinjherrera.